The Truth Behind Video Length

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The Truth Behind Video Length

Many that I’ve talked to have a lot of conviction regarding the length any video should be, especially when it comes to commercials. The thinking goes something like this: “People have very short attention spans. Therefore a video must be super quick, quicker than quick, so quick that there isn’t time to really do anything but sell, certainly not enough time to do the kind of in-depth humanizing that we at Bizbio are known for.

Now obviously there is truth to this argument.

When I’m forced to watch commercials it sucks and I hate it. From my favourite show to the ads many (not Bizbio) add to their YouTube channels. Commercials need to be short and entertaining to have an impact. Bizbio certainly gets that and we can and have made some great ones.

But there is one key distinction between that type of “commercial” and the longer landing page videos we often produce. That is that those commercials are unsolicited for products most of us probably aren’t in the market for at that specific moment in time; that’s what makes them a nuisance.

But have you ever watched a commercial that just happened to speak to you and your needs at that moment? Suddenly it’s a completely different experience isn’t it? That’s when you’ll pull out your phone or rush to your desktop to find out more.

That is a critical point regarding the power and need for online video:

People will look for you or your industry online when they’re interested in what you have to offer. That means you had better have something good for them to watch when they find you.

That also means the video you can have on your landing page can be longer.

If they’re already interested in what you’re selling having a one, two even three minute video isn’t such a stretch at all. As long as it’s entertaining and informative they’ll watch, especially if they’re deciding whether or not to have you work on their car, help them draft their will, do the numbers for their business or fix their roof they’re willing to spend a few minutes learning a bit about you first. Why? Because they need to trust you first and let’s face it, it’s really hard to trust anything you see online these days.

So yes some three minute videos can seem like a lifetime, especially if they’re produced wrong, but for those in the market for what you’re offering two or three minutes may actually not be long enough. In fact if we at Bizbio have done our job right they’ll be left with an urge to find out more that is so strong they’ll pick up the phone to really get the down and dirty and in the end, that’s what it’s all about anyway. Thanks for reading!